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Cool poem. Deep, and it gave me a sense of hope somehow... Love the last two lines. Can't say I've heard the song that inspired this poem, but it must be good to spawn such a great poem! Well done.

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Comment | 146 words

Mon, November 13th, 2006 3:58pm

It actually hasn't got that much to do with the song (which you can find on the Counting Crows album "August and Everything After"); the lyrics I'm alluding to are actually from an old English (I think) rhyme that goes "One for sorrow, two for joy, three for girls and four for boys; five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told". This was (and still is in quite a few places in England and in Ireland) said every time one saw one, or two or three etc. magpies, as magpies were seen as omen bearers in pagan England and Ireland. Hence the name of the band, even though they confused crows and magpies (perhaps for alliteration purposes?), and hence the lines "I will not count these crows ruthlessly,/ To fortune-tell when love is gone." Thanks very much for your comment!